


Functioning Adult™

by WhisperElmwood



Series: Tumblr Star Trek Prompts [3]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Academy Era, Alcohol, Anxiety, Disordered Eating, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Relationship, Prompt Fic, Prompt Fill, Short One Shot, Stress
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2019-01-07 16:17:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12236337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhisperElmwood/pseuds/WhisperElmwood
Summary: Person A is a Functioning Adult™ and Person B has been living off coffee and fruit snacks for three days straight.





	Functioning Adult™

**Author's Note:**

> As this is a shot one-shot from a tumblr prompt, it's not been BETA'd

Bones is a goddamn  _mess._

Jim had thought he was the one of the two of them most likely to have a breakdown during exam week, or at least to be the one who forgets to eat or sleep while frantically studying at all hours. But apparently not. Apparently, somewhere in the last six to eight months, he’s become an actual official Functioning Adult™. While Bones has, like, regressed to his undergrad days. Or something. 

At first, he finds it funny. Bones is cantankerous on the best of days, always ready with a complaint about any and all subjects, given in his own cheerful yet still very grumpy rumbles that never fail to bring a smile to Jim’s lips. During the run-up to finals week his cantankerousness ratchets up to truly  _epic_ proportions and Jim enjoys himself prompting the rants with careless comments, or standing back and watching as some poor cadet gets the full force of Bones ire directed at them. 

It’s amusing right up until he realises Bones is actually freaking the fuck out. 

It takes him way too long to figure it out. Really, he’s only known the guy for eight months, and he’s never seen him in the run-up to final’s week before, so it’s not like he knew what to expect. But there it is, Bones is freaking out and might be on his way to a full-blown nervous breakdown.  

He figures it out when he steps into their shared dorm room after a study session with some of the other Command Track cadets and finds Bones slumped over his desk, surrounded by actual textbooks, PADDS, real paper note-books covered in his indecipherable handwriting and short-hand, at least half a dozen take-out styrofoam and cardboard coffee cups, and what looks like an entire survival pack’s worth of protein bar wrappers. 

Jim quietly closes the door behind him while staring at his best friend’s slumped form. He’s snoring lightly, his head literally resting on the desk, one arm wrapped protectively around it, the other lying across the desk, his hand resting on one of the PADDs. His hair is standing on end, tufts lying in every direction like he’s been tugging on it and running his hands through it all day. 

“Crap,” he mutters to himself. He has a feeling he knows why Bones is freaking out - something something divorce, something something last chance, something something can’t fuck this up - and he’s abruptly annoyed with himself for not noticing what was going on earlier. 

Taking a breath, he decides to stop being an idiot and actually help bones out. To start with, he gently prompts Bones into waking up just enough to get him into his actual bed so he can sleep properly - Bones had given him such a bleary, confused apology, coupled with an expression of mingled misery and gratitude, that Jim had been unable to stop himself from actually tucking Bones in and petting his hair until he drifted back off again. 

Once Bones is asleep again he cleans away all the cups and wrappers, tidies up the textbooks, note-books and PADDs and then sits at his own desk to figure out what to do next. 

Operation ‘Keep Bones Alive’ starts the next morning. 

He gets up half an hour earlier than usual and makes sure Bones has a fresh steaming cup of coffee waiting for him when he wakes up. When Bones is in the shower, he makes him a real breakfast filled with protein and slow-release carbs to keep him running and even makes him sit down to eat it. Bones gives him a look like he’s some sort of pod-person, but Jim shrugs it off and eats his own breakfast with an overwhelming sense of satisfaction as Bones gives in and eats without further complaint. 

Before they both go their separate ways for study seminars, he presses a lunch bag into Bones’ hands. He gets a ‘what the fuck, kid’ for his troubles, but simply grins and tells Bones to actually eat his fucking lunch today. 

In their shared room, he makes sure to push both fresh coffee and bowls of pre-sliced fruit, nuts, the occasional bit of chocolate within Bones absent reaching distance while he studies. Bones doesn’t really notice until the time he picks up half a turkey sandwich, bites into it and then pauses, brow furrowing in confusion in such a way that Jim is forced to clamp his lips together to stop himself laughing. 

Jim simply gives him a blank look from his own desk when Bones glares at him. Bones keeps eating it though, so Jim considers it all a win as he eats his own sandwich. 

The bags under Bones eyes don’t go away, nor does his nervous energy or his constant scowl, but he doesn’t explode at anyone anymore and his cheeks aren’t quite so hollow. He actually goes to bed instead of falling asleep at his desk. 

All the while, Jim plies Bones with questions from his study texts at random moments, and Bones replies completely without thought. After a couple days, Bones realises what Jim has been doing and that he’s been getting every single answer correct, and that’s when he finally stops giving Jim his pod-person stare and smiles at him instead. 

Jim keeps it up all the way through final’s week itself. 

He’s pretty sure he’s aced all his own exams, including the Xenobiology 101 he took purely because he wanted to at least partially understand what the hell Bones was always grumbling about - and his plying Bones with questions during operation Keep Bones Alive really helped there, by the way, he’s totally going to use the same tactic next year. 

When he gets back to their room after his final exam - Tactics and Diplomacy re: Hostile Species - he steps into the tiny kitchenette and finds Bones sitting at the table waiting for him. He’s got two glasses and his best bourbon out. 

“Bones? What’s this?” He toes his shoes off in the nook behind the door and drops his bag on them before taking a seat at the table. Bones pours them both a finger of bourbon each and smiles at him as he hands Jim his glass. 

“I just wanted to say thanks, Jim. I’ve been a real piece of work the past few weeks and you - well, you didn’t need to do what you did, but. Well, thank you.” He lifts his glass in a salute and takes a sip. 

Jim grins and takes a sip, “ _One_ of us has to be the adult in this relationship, and Bones, I am shocked,  _shocked_ I say, that it turns out it’s me.” 

Bones snorts and rolls his eyes, “No more bourbon for you, you absolute child.” 

Jim laughs but Bones is still smiling at him, so he shrugs, “I just wanted to keep you healthy enough to remember you got this, right? I mean, I think I understand what was wrong? I just wanted to let you know you can do this. And hey, look, you did it.” 

Bones smiles at him again, “Yeah I did. Turned out to be a cake-walk.” He pauses, takes another sip of his bourbon, “I should be better about it all next year.” 

“Great!” Jim downs his bourbon, coughs a little, then pushes to his feet. “Now it’s all over, I am going the fuck to sleep for the next three days.” He ruffles Bones hair as he passes him and gets a spluttered curse in return.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr @amalugoingboldly if y'all want to prompt me a thing


End file.
